Technology’s Pivotal Role in Memorial Services: A significant spike in demand was seen when 74.4% of funeral homes reported that the number of families they served increased, especially in large metropolitan areas. While some funeral homes already offered livestreaming services, since the onset of the pandemic, more than half of NFDA-member funeral homes began doing so to help families safely gather while adhering to restrictions on public gatherings. Funeral homes are predicted to continue to expand this and other offerings – such as virtual funerals and an increased array of options to meet the needs of families with diverse cultural and faith traditions – in the future. Crematory Ownership Up: With the annual number of cremations in the U.S. expected to rise from 1.91 million in 2022 to 2.26 million by 2030, and to 2.94 million by 2040, there has, in turn, been growth in the number of funeral homes operating their own crematories. Approximately 39% of funeral homes in the country now operate their own crematories and another 12% plan to open their own within the next five years. The highest concentration of crematories in the U.S. are in the Southeast, Great Lakes, and MidAtlantic regions where there tends to be a higher population density and a higher percentage of people 65 or older. Labor Shortage: The employment rate for funeral service workers is expected to grow by 4% from 2020 to 2030, thus many firms anticipate hiring eligible workers to be a future challenge. Throughout the pandemic years, funeral directors proved their ability time and time again to swiftly adapt as they worked tirelessly to serve their communities by finding new ways to help families meaningfully pay tribute to their loved ones. Whether families are looking to organize a traditional religious funeral or a more customized memorial, it can be difficult to know where to start. Answering questions at all stages of planning, Remembering A Life (www.RememberingALife.com), NFDA’s family outreach and education website, offers guidance on where to begin the planning process, the kinds of decisions that families can make and the numerous options available to make a tribute both personal and meaningful. The site is designed to help people curious about their own affairs or those seeking answers following the death of a loved one. As the trusted leader and worldwide resource for the funeral service profession, NFDA lists Remembering A Life among their top resources providing helpful information about planning a meaningful service, as well as resources to help people understand their own and others’ grief and loss. The statistical projections contained in the 2022 NFDA Cremation and Burial Report were compiled by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Applied Population Laboratory Department of Community and Environmental Sociology. State-level deaths by “method of disposition” data were collected from state vital statistics departments or similar state regulatory agencies for the years 2002-2020. Other findings presented in the report are from proprietary NFDA research studies, such as the 2022 NFDA Consumer Awareness & Preferences Study. NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please contact 800-228-6332 or visit https://www.nfda.org/. The National Funeral Directors Association is the world’s leading, largest and most trusted association to support funeral professionals.  We provide our members with critical information, innovative tools, resources and the professional community they need to serve families, run sustainable businesses and become pillars in their communities. ©2024 by National Funeral Directors Association. All Rights Reserved. This site uses cookies - you have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the NFDA services or websites you visit. This site uses cookies to help deliver an engaging user experience. This site uses cookies - you have the ability to accept or decline cookies. 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